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Ambition
Check out the allegiances or, if you'd like to leave feedback to my story, don't be afraid to hop onto its Feedback Page! Prologue The she-cat looked down at her nest, sheathing and unsheathing her claws. She didn't want to believe it, she hoped this was all wrong. That her world was a dream turning into a nightmare. Her kits, oh her poor, poor kits. One moment, they lay completely safe, completely calm, protected at her belly. Ready to feed when she had milk to give. And just like that, they were gone! They grew sick! Oh so terribly sick! Now they were gone, could the medicine cat not have done more? Could he not cure her oh so precious kits? The poor, fragile lives were swept from her paws like prey. Taken, stolen from her! Stolen into the paws of Starclan with no mercy! Oh her dear Snowkit, her fluffy, soft fur will never be felt in her paws. Her cooling, calming scent of her kit would never reach her nose again! Her poor Firekit! The little tom so weak, so loud. So pure! How could Starclan be so cruel?! Why would they take her kits away from her?! "Meadowtail?" The light in the entrance of the den faded, as the outline of a tom stood in front of it. The lean leader of Windclan came forward to the she-cats nest. The dappled light going over the black and white pelt of a small she-kit. Turning it sunset for moments, then back to nightly black. Oh she looked so innocent, the perfect white stripe one her nose to her tail-tip. Her jaws open, a small berry pink tongue curled out in a yawn. Frosty white ear-tips messy and ungroomed. "Oh! Bring her over here!" She cried, "Where in the name of Starclan did you find her?" She began to smooth the kits fur in fierce licks, warming her, and waking her. The kit looked at her with sunset amber eyes. "Chippedgorse found her." Meadowtail was pulled out of her daze by the name. "Chippedgorse?!" She gasped. "That mangy deputy of yours?" "Do you assume I stole her?" Another shadow fell over the den. The amber eyes of the Windclan deputy meeting her clear, emerald ones. "Do you assume I did something to her mother? No. I didn't. I found her by the gorge, you will ''care for her!" He spat. "Otherwise, she'll starve!" he paused a moment before adding: "Her name is Badgerkit!" The tom didn't wait for a reply. His snowy-shadowy form whipped around. Clearing the den of shadow, as the entrance was allowed to release light into the den once again. Wildstar didn't say anything, he just sighed, and gave a curt nod to the queen. Before then leaving the nursery, as well. "Alright then..." Her voice was from desperate to silk, she nudged her new daughter up to her belly. To let her take the milk she had to give. "Welcome to Windclan, Badgerkit." ''Chapter I The small black-and-white kit stumbled out of the nursery, blinking as sunshine flooded her vision. The nursery had gotten crowded with two new queens- Flamestripe and Brindlefoot. Meaning that it had also gotten pretty stuffy, she had to fight her way out into the camp! A shadow fell over her small form, as Chippedgorse purred. "Hello there, Badgerkit." Badgerkit stared up at him, amber gaze boring into his bright yellow one. "Hi!" Her small tail flicked. Chippedgorse had come to see her again! She weaved around his legs, swatting at him. "Are we gonna learn more warrior moves? I've been working on my Front Paw Blow! See?" She swatted her paws at the air, trying to stay up on her hind legs. Before falling back in failure. A purr came from the Windclan deputy, as he crouched down and nudged her back up to her paws. "I see." His eyes went over to something else. Confused, Badgerkit moved her head to follow his gaze, seeing the medicine cat- Jackdawclaw- turn from training his apprentice to narrow his eyes into a glare at Chippedgorse. His gaze shifted from the deputy to Badgerkit. But only for a moment, and the tom said nothing. Weirdo! ''Badgerkit had found Jackdawclaw to be strange, but never thought much of it. and when she did, it was never for long. As a rumbling belly distracted her from the thought of the medicine cat. Badgerkit looked over to a dip in the ground, barely visible at first: the camps fresh-kill-pile. It was stocked with rabbits and shrews. Making the kits mouth water, she had long since grown out of the milk of her mother: Meadowtail. In turn for the juicy flesh of rabbit, and whatever prey was left in the pile. She broke away from her game with the Windclan deputy, rushing over to the dip to see what it had to offer her. There were a few rabbits, and a stiff shrew from yesterdays hunt. Chippedgorse was to catch up to her, and reached down into the dip for the kit. Quick to grab a rabbit, and drag it over to a sunny spot in camp. "Come over here, Badgerkit." The small she-kit squealed, rushing over to him, tripping over her own paws. She skidded to a halt in front of him, pelt bushed up. The Windclan deputy stepped over the rabbit, nudging her back to her paws. "Such a strong little one," he purred. "you have so much energy for such a little kit." He went back over to their meal, settling down beside it. He then beckoned her over with his tail, sweeping the spot beside him. Badgerkit tumbled over to his side, as a chunk of rabbit was torn away, laid down in front of her. The meat was still warm from a fresh hunt, the heat preserved by the new-leaf sun. The flesh was full of fat, and easy to eat, blood seeped from her jaws while she chewed, and covered her muzzle when she went for another bite. When they were done, her mother had come out of the nursery. "Badgerkit! Come over here now, let's not bother the deputy!" Disappointment wedged into her belly. She didn't wanna leave Chippedgorse yet! He was being so nice. "Go back to Meadowtail," he murmured. "We can work on your Front Paw Blow later." She was carefully nudged back up onto her paws, and pushed forward. Head bowed, she made her way back over to Meadowtail, who immediately began to cover her muzzle in licks, cleaning off the blood from her messy eating. She was urged back into the stuffy nursery, reluctantly, she looked back, leaving the sunny day behind. ''Chapter II Badgerkit found herself in a giant moorland of vast grass and sunlight, strong winds tugged at her fur, and cooled her pelt. Mingled scents were all around her, and bright stems of heather towered over her head. The luring scent of rabbit weaving through them. "Badgerkit," Meadowtail nudged her awake. Groggy, she stared up at her mother, confused as to what had happened to the heather field. "Wildstar was killed last night," She spoke warily. "Chippedgorse wants everyone outside." Still tired, Badgerkit fumbled around, getting up to her paws, her flesh felt dry and sensitive after a whole night of sleep. Maybe I can get some water. '' Her mother led her outside, where Chippedgorse sat on the Tall Rock, looking down at Wildstars body. ''Do they know what killed him? ''She peeked through the crowd of cats, grief hung thick in the air. And she saw Jackdawclaw looking over the body. The medicine cat sniffed, and simply shook his head in disappointment, using his herbs to hide the scent of death on the former Windclan leader. ''Chippedgorse is the leader now! ''Excitement sparked in the kits pelt, and she looked up at the tom, his strong stance, his amber eyes glaring down at the cats below. ''Chippedstar! ''She held her tongue, surely, the cats would come to the realization that they had a new leader now? "It's pretty clear," Jackdawclaw began. "Wildstar was killed by another cat. The question is..." His glare went right back up to Chippedgorse. "Who?" The Windclan deputy shrugged. "We'll find out, after I get back from the Moonstone." He leapt down from the rock, padding over to Badgerkit. "Now that i'm leader of this clan, i'll make sure you become the strongest warrior in it." With that, he padded to the exit of camp, flicking his tail for Jackdawclaw to follow. The medicine cat hesitated, before padding forward, to join Chippedgorse. The two ran out of camp, and off to moonstone. ..... Badgerkit was swatting at a moss ball, the sun was going down now, and Chippedgorse wasn't back! She looked up from her moss ball, staring through the heather and grass of the camp entrance. Briarpaw and Dustpaw had been set with the task of reinforcing the walls of camp. She didn't know why, though. "Badgerkit!" Her mother called. "It's time to go to sleep!" "But momma! I'm waiting for Chippedgorse to get back!" Meadowtail sighed, padding across camp. Then crouching in front of Badgerkit, licking the fur between her ears, and going down the single white stripe between her shoulders to groom her. "The leader's nine lives ceremony is going to take all night, sweetie. You can see them tomorrow," She soothed. "Now come on, my little warrior. You need some rest for the day ahead." She opened her jaws to protest, but her mother had picked her up already, carrying her by the scruff, back into the nursery. Chapter III "All cats gather!" Badgerkit was woken by a familiar voice, only to groan as mews of surprise and panic came from the nearby nest. Flamestripe's kits: Leafkit, Wingkit, and Flykit, had been woken by the meeting call, too. Badgerkit got up to her paws, was Chippedgorse back? Was he Chippedstar now? The black and white kit rose to her paws, careful not to disturb her groggy mother. And stepped over Brindlefoot's tail. The light of the exit was so close now... Without a second thought, she bounded forward. Being met with nothing more than the pale grey light of dawn. The clan was gathered around the tall-rock. Something was off. Jackdawclaw was facing Chippedgorse- no- Chippedstar! He was facing Chippedstar, lip curled back in fury and shock. "I wont let you lead this clan!" Chippedstar lashed his tail, clearly infuriated. "Starclan gave me their blessing? Did they not?!" "Well then Starclan was wrong!" The medicine cat spat back. "The wind will waver in the paws of night's deadly claws, no sliver of light will Be left in sight! You are the night, Chippedgorse!" "No I am not!" A yowl broke into the clearing, as the leader and medicine cat were suddenly in a ball of claws slashing, jaws snapping, blood and fur flying. Jackdawclaw tried to slash at Chippedstars muzzle, but the leader ducked away, and slid under the medicine cat, clawing at his belly. Quick as a snake, he jumped out from under Jackdawclaw, ramming against the medicine cats flank, unbalancing him, and making him fall. Jackdawclaw went down, with Chippedstar slashing his claws over his throat, "I will not tolerate any traitors in this clan..." With a dying gasp, the medicine cat suddenly jerked, his head facing the sky, his eyes rolling back in death. But once his body lay still, it let out a screech. "THE WIND WILL WAVER IN THE PAWS OF THE NIGHT'S DEADLY CLAWS!" Then all was silent. "You... You killed him!" The medicine apprentice stepped away. Honeypools eyes were glazed with grief and horror, Badgerkit had heard the purring of the nursery queens before. Joking about how Jackdawclaw might as well have been Honeypools father, instead of Leopardrunner. The clan always said he was a tolerant mentor, who had taught Honeypool well. ''Who knew he'd try to betray Chippedstar! ''A reddish-tabby apprentice covered Badgerkit's eyes. "Hey!" She ducked down, only to see Chippedstar's tail vanish, as he clambered back up onto the Tall Rock. "Now is the time for me to choose a deputy!" He called. Badgerkit heard the nursery rustle, and quickly ducked away from Briarpaw's tail, darting between the cats to see the body before her mother could take her back into the nursery. She gasped. Jackdawclaw's body was twisted, jaws open in his final words, claws stiff, unsheathed, flipped onto his belly, the steady flow of blood now simply dripping from his throat. His eyes were clouded with nothing but death, and he had his head thrown back in agony. Just for a short lived moment, she wanted to vomit, and she couldn't feel the ground beneath her paws, as her head swayed and swirled from her shock. ''Is that what dead bodies always look like?! ''She was suddenly lifted up by the scruff, and the sunlight faded, as Meadowtail tucked her back into the nursery. ''But Chippedstar beat him! Jackdawclaw challenged his power, and Chippedstar ''killed ''him! ''She felt her belly itching, itching for something. For strength, the same power Chippedstar had. The will to fight to the death for her place in Windclan. ''I wanna be as strong as Chippedstar! '' She peeked out of the nursery. ''I need to see him again! ''Her amber gaze flickered to the camp exit, where she saw Jackdawclaw's tail vanish. She caught the scents of Honeypool- and the Medicine cat's mother- Shinefrost. Pity tugged at her chest for the medicine cat. She had been very close to Jackdawclaw. Then witnessed him betray her leader! Chippedstar was back up on the tall rock, watching as warriors reluctantly gathered back around. "As the new leader of Windclan. I need a deputy at my side. With the will of Starclan, I name Wreneye my deputy." Wreneye, a battle scarred tom, Meadowtail said that he had been Chippedstar's mentor. ''He chose his mentor? Out of respect? "Clan dismissed!" Chapter IIII "Badgerkit!" She yelped as she was tackled down, three, small, fluffy bodies piling on top of her. Then groaned, the kits had quickly learned to walk and talk over the course of the last half moon. They were quick to get on her nerves. 'You have the temper of Chippedstar!' the kits would tease. Only to then be harshly scolded by their mother. "Get off me!" Being much larger than the other kits, she twisted and shook until they all fell of, squealing in delight and excitement. Can they not take a hint?! ''Badgerkit didn't want to be stuck taking care of kits, that was the queen's job! She wanted to be talking to Chippedstar. She wanted to know how he beat Jackdawclaw! She wanted to learn to fight, and hunt. She wanted to be ''strong! ''She wanted to be feared, like Chippedstar. He promised her, he'd make her the strongest warrior in Windclan... Taking her chance, Badgerkit forced her way out of the nursery, looking around the clearing for the leader's nightly colored pelt. There he was, sitting near the tall-tock. Talking to Wreneye, the deputy seemed interested in what the leader had to say. She threw herself forward, the mewling of playful kits ringing out behind her. "Chippedstar!" It came out as more of a wail, as the she-kit practically glided over to him. Wreneye gave a sniff, wrinkling his nose. "Rogue kit..." "Wreneye!" Chippedstar glared at his deputy, before quickly looking down at Badgerkit. "Hello, Badgerkit. What do you need?" Badgerkit just pressed close to him, as the three young kits were crashing after her, Leafkit in the lead of them. A large paw stomped down in front of her, stopping the litter in their tracks. Chippedstar let his lip curl into a snarl, and his paws sank into the loose soil below them. "Get!" He hissed. "Go back to your mothers! Badgerkit doesn't want to see you right now!" The kits turned their tails, and went fleeing back to the nursery in terror of the massive tom. Badgerkit didn't bother to hide her sigh in relief, as she flopped down to relax. A ''mrrw ''of amusement came from Chippedstar, and the ground beneath her paws suddenly vanished. Only for her to be placed between Chippedstar's paws, as he started to groom the kit fluff behind her ears. Meadowtail normally did this, embarrassment heated under her pelt. Was her fur that ruffled up from Leafkit, Flykit, and Wingkit?! "So," Chippedstar spoke between his licks. "As I was saying, Wreneye. Sootslash's patrol reported kittypet scent and rabbit blood near the border. My guess is they're coming from the barn across the Thunderpath." "They're stealing our prey?!" Badgerkit gasped. Wreneye let off a grunt of annoyance. Murmuring something under his breath, she couldn't really pick it up. Something like 'Could've better....' ''could've better? ''She opened her jaws to speak, when Chippedstar purred. "Yes, young Badgerkit. They're stealing the prey that rightfully belongs to Windclan. How do ''you ''think it should be dealt with?" Badgerkit swiped her small paws up at Chippedstar. "Do the same thing you did to Jackdawclaw!" She squealed. "I wanna see it this time!" Chippedstar stood up, puffing out his chest in a loud purr. "Well, I went under his belly to unbalance him," He began. "Chippedstar!" ''Tawnysky? I thought she led a patrol with Willowwish and Petalwave? ''She looked up from her place of watching Chippedstar. There was a fat kittypet. Her white and light brown pelt unfamiliar to her. As well as the weird green flesh that clung around her neck. With a shiny thing hanging from it. ''Is she sick? Does that shiny thing hurt? '' They had her by her shoulders, while Goldenpaw had the rear, to make sure she didn't try to escape. "Caught her in the middle of chasing a rabbit!" Chippedstar studied the she-cat. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly rose to his paws, stalking over to her. "Take her to one of the spare places. Keep her guarded. She isn't leaving." His warriors exchanged confused glances. But nodded, anyway. Badgerkit felt suspicion pulsing off Wreneye, she looked at the deputy, avoiding his gaze. He didn't like her very much, she couldn't understand why. What did she do wrong? Wreneye rose to his paws. "I think we should move our eldest apprentices up. Briarpaw and Dustpaw have been training for a long time. My patience is wearing thin with their mentors." Chippedstar didn't think on it, simply nodded in agreement. "I agree, they've trained long enough. I could apprentice Badgerkit while i'm at it-" "Now wait a minute." Wreneye stood in front of Badgerkit, blocking her with a paw. "What makes Badgerkit so special that she starts her training early, Chippedstar? I have kits in the nursery, too. You don't see me trying to give Leafkit, Flykit, or Wingkit a special treatment. Do you?" "I never said she was mine!" Chippedstar's fur spiked up. "Badgerkit is the daughter of a rogue, and is the eldest of the nursery kits. If she could survive being abandoned in the leaf-bare. An early apprenticeship won't hurt her. If whoever killed Wildstar is still out there, we'll need as much protection as we can get!" Wreneye didn't seem convinced at all. "You spend an awful lot of time with her," He tested. "Sharing prey, making promises to have her be the strongest warrior." Chippedstar's lip curled into a snarl. "Badgerkit is not mine." He repeated. "She needed someone that would be there to motivate her. Not an overprotective mother like Meadowtail!" Wreneye, was still being stubborn. He kept pressing at Chippedstar, making the leader agitated. "Badgerkit is getting no special treatment!" He finally snapped. "All the kits will be apprenticed at her age from now on. Holding a longer apprenticeship!" "...Fine, that's fair." Wreneye seemed defeated. Chippedstar leaned down to Badgerkit, licking her messy white ear tips. "Groom your fur down." He murmured. "While the warrior ceremony is going on." With that, the leader turned. Leaping up onto the tall-rock. He sat down, making sure his chest was puffed out, he was perfectly straight, and that his tail was curled neatly over his paws. ''I... I'm... I'm becoming an apprentice early! ''Doing as Chippedstar said, Badgerkit frantically started to groom her fur. Her ears pricked to listen to him. "Let all cats old enough to run on the moor, gather below tall-rock for a clan meeting!" Jaws immediately gripped her scruff, and Meadowtail turned to take her back to the nursery. "Meadowtail!" Her mother froze. "Badgerkit stays. Help her get her fur groomed." Her mother didn't have the courage to question Chippedstar. But she did seem confused. "Me and Wreneye have been speaking," Her father- No! No! Her ''leader ''began. ''Leader. Chippedstar is my leader: not my father. I'm rogue born. ''She looked back up to him as he spoke. ''He feels like a father, though. '' "..So with that being said." ''Oh! I missed the whole speech... ''Guilt started to crawl into her belly. As her mother finished grooming her with rough, quick licks. "Briarpaw, Dustpaw. Step forward." Murmurs were sweeping the crowd of cats, as the two apprentices respectfully stepped forward to their leader. "I, Chippedstar. Leader of Windclan. Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained long and hard in the ways of your blood-spilled code. I commend them warriors in your turn." His gaze went to Dustpaw. "Dustpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend your clan. Even at the cost of your life?" "I do!" His answer was rushed, his eyes were bright- Dustpaw was truly happy. "Then by the powers of Starclan invested in ''me, I give you your warrior name. Dustpaw, from this day forward, you will be called Dustwhisker. Starclan honors your dedication to Windclan." His gaze then went over to Briarpaw. "Briarpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend your clan. Even at the cost of your life?" "I do." Plain and simple, Badgerkit would admit: She was happy for Briarpaw. She was protective of her, and treated her like a little sister. "Then by the powers of Starclan invested in me, I give you your warrior name. Briarpaw, from this day forward. You will be called Briartail. Starclan honors your... caring ways, and they welcome you both as full warriors of Windclan." Just like that, the whole clan broke into a series of caterwauls for the new warriors. "Dustwhisker! Briartail! Dustwhisker! Briartail!" Chippedstar then raised his tail for silence. "It's come to my mind that whoever killed Wildstar may still be out there. Until we're sure they're gone, apprentices may not leave without their mentors. I expect the camp walls, and the nursery to be reinforced. I have also decided that kits will start training early." Shock, hostility, and tension filled the air. Chippedstar was quick to explain. "It's for better trained warriors. Though apprenticed early, i'll make sure they have their apprenticeship longer. Four and a half moons is the new limit for apprenticeship in Windclan. With that being said." Badgerkit felt his gaze go over to her, burning into her pelt. "Badgerkit. Come here." Chapter V "Patience, Badgerpaw." Chippedstar walked over, pushing her down so her haunches were lower. "You need to make sure that you stay low in the grass. So you'll have a better chance at catching a rabbit." Badgerpaw had only been apprenticed for about four sunrises. Chippedstar taking it upon himself to mentor her. Badgerpaw didn't mind that at all! And she enjoyed not having to put up with nursery kits. The apprentice counted herself lucky: Brindlefoot had her litter two days after her ceremony. The kits were named Mudkit and Waterkit. So much has happened, and it hasn't even been a quarter moon! ''The clan didn't seem to approve of Badgerpaw's early apprenticeship. But it wasn't hurting anything! Chippedstar was a great mentor to her. ''He promised he'd make me the strongest warrior in Windclan! ''She still remembered that murmur. Where he promised her strength, to be the best warrior Windclan had ever seen. Clearly, Chippedstar had not forgotten his promise either. "Focus!" His voice was raised. "Try the hunting crouch again, you look like an ashamed fox!" Embarrassed by her mentor's teasing, Badgerpaw was quick to straight herself up, shake out her thick pelt, and try her crouch once again. "Better," He commented. "It'll have to do, let's spend a bit with battle training." "Ok!" Badgerpaw jumped up from her hunting crouch, shaking once again. She practically bounced beside him, there were faint yowls not far away. "Get back over here! If you can chase down and kill a rabbit, you can fight an apprentice!" That kittypet had been set to be a training tool for the apprentices: for chasing off intruders. Sad thing was: That darn kittypet was scared of her shadow at times! Chippedstar drew Badgerpaw out of her thoughts by cuffing her over the ear. "Focus. This is battle training, remember?" "Oh! Right!" Badgerpaw shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Then bounded across the earth, skidding to a halt so she could face her mentor. "Ok, I'm ready!" Chippedstar crouched down. "Let's work on your head on attacking. You need to be ready to put all your strength into a frontal attack when the time calls for it. Let me see what you can do." Badgerpaw didn't hesitate to throw her weight at Chippedstar, it didn't do much. She was too small, but she had sharp claws, and dug them into her mentor's fur. "Hey now," The tom purred. "This is just training: not a real battle. No claws, young Badgerpaw!" Chippedstar pried the young apprentice off of him, letting her hit the ground with a 'thump!' Badgerpaw didn't seem to mind at all, she scrambled back up, and started swatting at Chippedstar's legs. The tom simply moved away. "Put more force into it." Ha advised. "You want to knock someone's paws out from under them, it makes things easier." Without thinking, Badgerkit suddenly threw herself at his paws. only for one to rise, and press down on her back. "You've got a long time before you can go into battle, you know." This made Badgerpaw huff in frustration. Chippedstar suddenly reached over, lifting her by the scruff. He started back towards camp. ''Done already? ''As they made their way to the reinforced walls of heather and grass, Hawkface came out with Petalwave and Briartail. Petalwave's apprentice: Goldenpaw. Was in tow. They dipped their heads in greeting to their leader as they went by. Badgerpaw stared at Goldenpaw, but the older tom simply scoffed, turning his gaze away from her. Then picking up the pace. The leader and apprentice emerged in camp. Badgerpaw squirmed, trying to get out of her mentor's grip. Meadowtail was at the fresh kill pile! He seemed reluctant to put her down, but when he did. Badgerpaw didn't waste any time. She blitzed over to the fresh-kill-pile. Tripping over her own paws. She found Meadtail talking to a tom. ''Isn't that Lionclaw? ''The brilliant golden barred tom seemed to be engaged in a conversation with her mother. Bagderpaw was tempted to cut in, but the scent of prey made her notice how hungry she was. With one last glance at her mother, Bagderpaw went around the two warriors, snatching a vole from the fresh-kill-pile. The black and white apprentice pricked her ears, alarm spiking through her pelt. The excited mews of ktis were heading her way. Without a second thought, Badgerpaw made a mad dash for the apprentices den. Tripping over the tail of her vole as she entered, earning a jeering laughter from Tigerpaw and Snakepaw. Huffing, Badgerpaw decided that it was best to ignore them. Heading for the back of the den, well, more like a wall of grass. There weren't really any dens in Windclan aside from what was vital. Such as the Medicine Den, Nursery, or Elders den. That was about it. The black and white apprentice settled down, paws tucked under her. Badgerpaw took a bite of the juicy flesh, but it was cold. Not warmed by the greenleaf sun like she was so used to it being. There wasn't much easy to chew fat, either. This had been hunted yesterday! The stale flesh didn't taste all that good. But she wasn't going to complain. Food was food. No matter where it came from. Badgerpaw started thinking as she ate. Chippedgorse didn't train her all that much. Just showed her basic battle moves, made her practice a hunters crouch, and then go back to camp. They never really did anything Warrior-like, or fun! She wanted to fight, and run, feel the wind in her fur! ''You've got a long time before you can go into battle. ''Those words stuck in her head, as she continued to eat. Badgerpaw knew he was right. She didn't want him to be: But he was. ''I'll have to train harder from now on! Chapter VI The moon hung in the sky, it was just starting to climb the stars. Completely full, and providing a dim, silver glow over the moorland. Badgerpaw stumbled, trying desperately to keep up with the other cats. They were far bigger than her. She wasn't trained to be as fast as them yet. It wasn't easy to stay at their pace. Badgerpaw suddenly tripped, she could have sworn that she felt her whole life flash before her eyes. Teeth grabbed her scruff, hauling her back over to the group. "Thanks, Tawnysky." The warrior grunted in response, regrouping with the others. They stood at the edge of the moor, staring down into the fourtrees. Badgerpaw was bigger now, hitting her five moon mark at last. But that didn't change much of her training, Chippedstar was still very protective of her, and she still didn't find herself doing much during training. She was ''trying to hunt now, so at least she wasn't sitting at the elders nest all day. She was snapped out of her daze, as Windclan traveled down the hill. Into the hollow that had been introduced to her as the Fourtrees. One of the clans were already down there, they were fat, long-furred, and sleek pelted. They smelled like river water, and one other thing that Badgerpaw couldn't identify. Tawnysky sat the apprentice back down, walking off to talk to a group of the strange cats. While she found herself trying to weave through huge paws, and thin frames. ''So much is going on! ''Badgerpaw looked around for her mentor, Chippedstar had to be around somewhere. Her amber gaze scanned the clearing. It was pretty crowded. That only got worse once more cats piled into the hollow. They had a thick scent of leaves of their fur, as well as squirrel, mice, and some other prey she couldn't recognize. Panic flared beneath her pelt, Badgerpaw felt crowded. How many cats were here?! Her amber eyes squeezed shut, and she backed away from all the large forms. Trying to get into the open air. Only for her to bump into someone. Badgerpaw fell forward with a noticeable 'oof!' "Oh dear, are you alright, kit? What are you doing here at a gathering?" The black and white kit slowly craned her neck to see who was speaking. She had bumped into a she-cat. Fur brown like mud and soil. "My name is Branchheart." "B-badgerpaw." She looked to the ground, clawing at it anxiously, embarrassed. Her ear tips felt hot, and unease moved in her belly like worms. "Badger''paw? You're very small to be in training already! What clan are you of?" Now Badgerpaw felt out of place. She never thought of a gathering to be this scary... She didn't bother to answer Branchheart,she scrambled to her paws instead, and ran off to find her clan mates. Hopefully, Meadowtail, too. She opened her jaws for the tang of rabbit, only to be met with a wave of many things, water, plants, and now there was another ''scent! It smelt weird, tangy, like watered down Thunderpath. ''...Shadowclan? ''Chippedstar, and her mother how Shadowclan stunk like thunderpath. That they were hostile, and mean, and got their meanness by ''eating ''misbehaving kits! Badgerpaw backed away from the scent, praying that they didn't notice her. Her head shook wildly, turning around to try and find Windclan. At last, she spotted her mother's pelt. She didn't think twice, blitzing over like she had been offered rabbit fat. "Momma! Shadowclan is here!" she dove between Meadowtail's legs, trembling. "Don't let them eat me!" Her mother looked confused, the she-cat let her eyes scan the clearing. Meadowtail was quick to notice the Shadowclan warriors piling into their gathering place, then let out a soft purr. Without a word, her mother bent down, and licked Badgerpaw between the ears. "Oh don't be silly, Badgerpaw!" The young apprentice could tell the amusement practically dripping from her mother's voice. "It's the full moon, Shadowclan can't do anything to you. Now, don't get under any cats paws. And stay with Windclan!" With that, her mother nudged her forward. Badgerpaw was hesitant to move, she didn't want to get spotted by Shadowclan! Despite her mother's comfort, she still felt uneasy about this whole thing. She turned around, looking for someone she knew. Then, Badgerpaw spotted a familiar, thin figure. ''Briartail! The relief made her paws shake, as she whizzed over to her friend. Settling down beside her, and pressing herself to Briartail's side. Surprised glittered in the young warriors gaze, just as she opened her jaws to ask what was going on. A yowl sounded from the Great Rock. "Gather beneath the fourtrees, and the eyes of Starclan. Cats of the four clans, let our Gathering begin!" Chapter VII Badgerpaw's paws felt like stone, she felt like she was asleep, yet, at the same time. She wanted to drop dead. In short terms: She was tired from the gathering. But the kits wouldn't stop pestering her about it. No-one tried to stop them, the older apprentices planned on staying up later. She couldn't imagine why, the idea was pretty mouse-brained to her. Trying to ignore the pests at the edge of her nest, asking, pondering about a gathering that she was too anxious to listen to at. She had nothing to say about it. It was too crowded, and too stuffy. She didn't want to go back. But what could she say to her mentor? 'Oh, i'm so sorry Chippedstar! But I just don't want to go meet the other clans in a time of peace!' She couldn't say that. Surely, that'd get her into trouble? Groaning in frustration, she laid down, and tried to wait for sleep to come. The sun was bearing down onto the open moor, drying, almost cracking the ground. The grass swayed in a nonexistent wind. She relished it, the sun bearing down on her fur. The light breeze keeping her cooled off. The wind began to pick up. She didn't mind at first. But it started to get colder. "Huh?" Badgerpaw rolled onto her stomach. The grass! The heather! It was dying! Turning grey, and dry, breaking under the cold wind that hit her cheeks like icy claws. The dried ground was covered in flakes of snow, what was a few flakes turned into a storm. Packing snow down. Covering and killing the plants. She was born in leaf-bare. But, she didn't know it was this bad! Badgerpaw whirled around, looking for camp. Where was it? Where was she!? Badgerpaw opened her jaws to call for someone, but was shocked to see the snow slow. Steadying itself to a normal fall. That cold breeze ruffled her fur again, sending chills up her spine. "I'm not giving her to you!" She whirled around, there was another cat here! "Come on, Alexandra. She's mine just as well as yours." That voice was familiar, but when she tried to think about it. It was like her answer was thrown into an empty void. She couldn't put her paws on it. "But she's the only one that survived the birthing!" The female voice was pleading. "Then she'll be a strong warrior to Windclan." The male insisted. Then, a hiss rang out through the snow. "I'm not letting you take Neera from me!" Who was Neera? Who were these cats? Where were these cats?! "Neera, that's what you named her? Come on now, Alexandra! Neera is a ridiculous name!" A hiss rang out, as well as a grunt of pain from the male voice. As though the mother had attacked him for the sake of her kit, Badgerpaw ran forward tot he voices, only for them to echo from the opposite direction. "Hand her over, Alexandra! she's my daughter she as well as yours!" Badgerpaw tried once again, to the rescue! But was only met with a cliffside. The ground was slick, frozen. It betrayed her, a yowl that wasn't her own rang out. Before she found herself beneath the freezing waters, rushing over her head in a wave. Pulling her under, Badgerpaw couldn't breath! She tried to call out, only for air bubbles to go to the surface of the water in the gorge. Water filled her nose, and mouth. Badgerpaw a horrible burning sensation in the back of her head. ''I'm gonna die! "Badgerpaw!" the apprentice gasped, the shock of the cold water was suddenly replaced with the chill of the morning dew on her fur. A black and white tom stood over her small form, as Badgerpaw's mind started to function again. She shook her head. Chippedstar! "Come on, you're late." The small apprentice shook her head in her attempts to clear her mind. But she still felt the exhaustion as though she had never slept. Badgerpaw stumbled out of her nest, heading over to the fresh-kill-pile. Only to be blocked by a massive paw. "You woke up late." Her mentor grunted. "You're not eating this morning, you can eat when we get back." Swallowing her disappointment, the small apprentice turned. Following Chippedstar out of camp, the moor was still cold from the darkness of night. The sun had not yet warmed the land over the highstones, the ground was still covered in morning dew. The sky was paling with an early dawn, Badgerpaw lazily followed Chippedstar, taking a quick note of the direction they were heading, to the training clearing. He held his tail for her to stop, and went to the other end of the clearing. "It's about time I got you into battle training, your old enough and big enough." Confusion filled up Badgerpaw's features, her brain couldn't stop the words flowing from her mouth like water. "I thought we've ''been battle training, Chippedstar?" The leader turned to her,a smile danced across his scarred and battered muzzle. "Why of course we have!" He began. "But that was just to give you something to do, young Badgerpaw. Basic moves that wont hurt you. Now we'll move on to the more normal and advanced moves. Alright?" She felt happiness light up in her stomach lurge a urge of lightning, exploding all over her veins and traveling through her body. Making her fur bristle in anticipation. "What are we gonna do first? Are we gonna do an Underbelly Rake?! I've seen Goldenpaw and Snakepaw doing that one, and Briartail told me all about it! I-" Chippedstar cut her off. "The underbelly rake is for more advanced apprentices than you, you'll need to master your basics, first." Disappointment weighed in her belly like a stone in water. "We're going to work on a front paw swipe, it's a good move for raking a cats muzzle, or even catching their eye." Category:Flameheart's Fanfictions